Building-bed for large structures, such as ships or parts thereof



April 2, 1963 N. v. svENssoN ETAL 3,033,541

BUILDING-BED FOR LARGE STRUCTURES, SUCH AS sHIPs OR PARTS THEREOF 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 Filed July 2. 1959 3,083,541 BUILDING-BED FOR LARGE STRUCTURES, SUCH AS SHIPS R PARTS THEREOF Nils Verner Svensson and Bror Nils Adolf Svenson,

Goteborg, Sweden, assignors to Aktieholaget Giitaverken, Goteborg, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Filed July 2, 1959, Ser. No. 824,572 Claims priority, application Sweden July 15, 1958 1 Claim. (Cl. 61-67) This invention relates to a building-bed for large structures such as ships or parts thereof. In view of the great weight of such structures the bed and the cradles on which the structure is to be assembled must be extremely strong. In order to move the construction, various measures had to be taken to reduce the friction between the bed and the cradles. In conventional constructions, the cradles have large flat supporting surfaces which directly rest on the launching-way. To reduce the friction between these parts, a layer of lubricant is applied to the ways. However, in such a bed construction the friction at rest is considerably greater than the sliding friction, and for this reason great forces are required to start the movement of the structure. On the other hand, it is diflicult to determine even approximately where the movement will stop.

A building-bed of this type is therefore not suitable in cases where the assembled sections of the structure are to be alternatingly moved and stopped, and the object of the invention is to avoid the inconveniences arising in such launching-ways.

The building-bed according to the invention comprises at least two parallel stationary ways and is characterized by set of rollers movable along said ways, blocks supported by the rollers and movable relative thereto, the upper sides of the blocks being adapted directly or indirectly or indirectly to support the structure, and means for moving the blocks longitudinally of the ways.

An embodiment of the invention as applied to a bed or slipway for ships is illustrated in the annexed drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a partially cross-sectional View of the bed, FIG. 2 a perspective view of a set of rollers, FIG. 3 a top view of the set of rollers shown in FIGv 2, FIG. 4 a sectional view of a vertically acting clamp for the blocks, FIG. 5 a diagrammatic lateral view of the bed, and FIG. 6 a lateral view of a block placed on a plurality of sets of rollers.

Ways of the type illustrated are mounted in a buildingdock and comprise a strong base 1 preferably made of concrete formed with upwardly projecting parallel ways 2 with embedded steel beams 3 the upper sides of which form fiat tracks 4 for rollers. While three such ways are shown in FIG. 1, their number may vary in accordance with requirements, and two or more than three ways may be provided. The tracks 4 are horizontal or slightly inclined and support, suitably along their whole lengths, sets 5 of rollers on which blocks 6 of wood or the like material are placed the lower sides of which are armed with box-shaped steel-beams 7 having lower flat faces in engagement with the rollers 8 of the sets of rollers. The structure 9 to be built is assembled on the blocks 6 or on an intermediate work platform or the like not shown which laterally extends over all of the blocks 6 on the various ways.

Each set 5 of rollers comprises a plurality of rotatable rollers 8 guided by axles 10 which are secured to side bars 11. The rollers 8 have circumferential recesses .12 engaged by a longitudinally extending bar 13 mounted on the track 4 and adapted to guide the rollers 8 transversely of the ways. Both end rollers of each set are shorter than the remaining rollers. Pawls or hooks 14 or the like are pivotally mounted on the axle lit at the ends of one end roller. At the ends of the other end roller, spacer sleeves 15 are mounted on the axle '10. The front ends of the pawls 14 are bevelled in such a manner that when a set of rollers is moved to an adjacent set, the pawls 14 of one set will be swung upwards over the spacer sleeves 15 of the other set and take hold of the sleeves so as to couple the sets of rollers automatically together. It will be understood that the pawls 14 may be replaced by other coupling devices.

A bar 16 secured to the lower side of the beam 7 of the block 6 also engages the recesses 12 of the rollers 8 to guide the block laterally.

Between the ways 2 there is provided a roller track 17 disposed at a lower level and provided with a guide bar 18. This roller track serves as a way for moving the sets of rollers and the blocks from the exit end of the bed to the entrance end according as they become available as the assembled structure is moved along.

A structure would be built up in the following manner.

To begin with, sets 5 of rollers are placed preferably along the entire bed. At one end there are placed blocks 6 the total length of which substantially corresponds to the section 9 of the structure to be assembled. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, two rows of blocks are placed on each way. After this section has been finally assembled it is moved forward by means of a suitable device, such as a plurality of hydraulic cylinders 19 which act upon the blocks 6 and move the blocks a distance corresponding to the length of the blocks whereupon new sets of rollers 8 and blocks 6 are placed onto each way 4 between the withdrawn hydraulic cylinder or jack and the finally assembled section. Then the section is again moved a distance corresponding to the length of a block.

As the blocks are advanced the sets 5 of rollers move half as long a distance as the blocks, which is favourable from the view point of transportation. Gradually, new sets of rollers and blocks are placed on the tracks, and these new sets and blocks are taken from the exit ends of the ways and lowered to the roller track 17 on which they are conveyed back below the section 9 to the entrance end.

In cases where the length of a section corresponds to a plurality of blocks and exceeds the stroke of the hydraulic jack means have to be provided to prevent the new and and not yet loaded blocks from being lifted off the roller tracks during the latter part of the displacement of the section. To this end, there are provided clamping members 20 which are mounted for angular movement in the base 1 and comprise a pivotable arm which at its free end has a roller 21 for engagement with a roller track formed by the beam 7 of the block 6. Due to this arrangement, the blocks are maintained in firm engagement with the sets 5 of rollers and can not be folded up against each other. When the structure to be built rests on the blocks the clamping members are not required and may be swung down as indicated in FIG. 5. The various sections 9 can be successively assembled on the bed and advanced as soon as each section is finished. Consequently, the work can be performed at a single part of the bed resulting in that the work is simplified and can be carried out under shelter if a hall or shed is erected over one end of the bed. Since the bed is level or but slightly inclined and since the rolling friction is comparatively small, no great forces are required to displace the structure and, further, the structure can be readily stopped at any desired place.

The upper sides of the blocks 6 have transverse recesses 22 the extension of which in the longitudinal direction of the blocks exceeds the distance between adjacent transverse recesses. Due to these recesses the lower side of the entire structure can be painted during the assembly work except for the portions which rest on the blocks.

3 Thereupon the dock is filled with water so that the ship is lifted ofi'the blocks and can be advancedtlir'oughsucha' described as applied 'to a slipway forships; it Will be unde'rst'ood that the bed may be usedfor assemblin'g'essen' tial parts of avship or other large structures in other fields of application where the structure has to bedisplaced during the assembly Work;

What we claim is:

it 'A' building bed atv the inner end of which a' large structure maybe assembled and; as completed; be gradually pushed outwards, comprising at least two parallel stationary'ways; sets ofrollers supported by and'movable along said ways; blocks supported by the rollers and'mov-' able relatively thereto; the'set's and the blocks covering the ways suflicien'tly"to"supportthe completed structure,

the uppersides of the blocks being adapted'to support a large structure; means for-applying la horizontally acting force to the blocks in the longitudinal direction of the ways, a plurality of clamps at the inner end of the bed distributed over a distancecorresponding to at' least' two blocks, each clamp comprising a bar swinga'oly mounted at one end thereof near the base of the way and having an anti-friction member on its other end, at least one of said blockshaving a longitudinal't'rack at a suitable distance from the base of-the way to cause saidanti friction meni her to maintain the blocksin engagement with said sets of rollers upon engagement of said clamps with the blocks, and means for transporting sets of rollers and blocks-from the outer end of the bed to the inner end thereof in sufl'icient number at'ea'ch timeto cover the'part oftheways laid free by the action of said force;

Refereuces'Citd 'ir' thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 278;631 Thompson May-29; 1883 33 1,094 Staples Jan. 12, 1886' 696,723' Davis Apr. 1, 19:02 1,316,831 Clark" Sept. 23, 1919 H011and Oct- 31, 2,337,101 Harris e Dec. 21, 1943 2,-392;08l- Crandal-l-- Jan. 1, 1946' 2,531,770 Ducharme Nov. 28, 1950 

